Jaligard
First Post
Okay, before I post my changes, here are my goals:
1) To give the ranger a little more customization (like all the other classes in 3e got).
2) To prevent people from taking a single level of ranger to get two very useful combat feats (at which point the ranger class is promptly forgotten).
3) To reward rangers for advancing in levels (beyond 1st).
4) To keep the changes simple so that existing rangers (both PC & NPC, particular those in store-bought modules) only need minor tweaking.
The result is basically a cross between the Monte Cook ranger and the Player's Handbook ranger. A custom feat also follows the class description.
Please let me know what you think, particularly if you find any glaring problems. Thanks!
Ranger Changes (JLG Version)
No changes are being made to the Saves, Hit Dice, Base Attack Bonus, Skill Points and Class Skills, Spells, or the Track ability of the ranger class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A ranger is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (as before). Rangers no longer gain the ability to fight with two weapons as if they had the feats Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting.
Bonus Feats: At 1st, 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level, the ranger gains a bonus feat from the list below. He only gains the benefit of these feats when wearing light or no armor (and is carrying a light load or less). These feats count as virtual feats and can be used as prerequisites for other feats, but both these virtual feats and the other feats (that used the virtual feat as prerequisites) are lost when when the ranger puts on medium or heavy armor. These bonus feats may be drawn from the following list: Alertness, Ambidexterity, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Dash **S&S**, Dodge (Mobility), Endurance, Expertise, Extra Favored Enemy **MotW**, Favored Critical **MotW**, Favored Terrain **see below**, Improved Intiative, Mounted Combat (Mounted Archery, Ride-By-Attack), Point Blank Shot (Far Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Shot on the Run), Quick Draw, Run, Shadow **S&S, MotW**, Skill Focus in any skill from the ranger class list, Supernatural Blow **MotW**, and Two-Weapon Fighting (Greater Two-Weapon Fighting **MotW**, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Off-Hand Parry **S&F, MotW**).
Some of the bonus feats available to the ranger cannot be acquired until the ranger has gained one or more prerequisites; these feats are listed parenthetically after the prerequisite feat. A ranger must still meet all prerequisites for a feat, including ability scores and base attack bonus minimums. (Special note: The Ambidexterity feat requires a minimum Dexterity of 15+.)
Important: These feats are in addition to the feat that a character of any class gets every three levels. The ranger is not limited to the list given here when choosing those feats.
Favored Enemy: The favored enemy class feature of the ranger remains unchanged, with the following exception: The favored enemy bonus does apply to damage against creatures that are immune to critical hits. Against such creatures, the damage bonus is considered a competence bonus.
Improved Two-Weapon Fighting: The ranger must have the Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting feats, either as bonus ranger feats or regular feats, to select this feat. It can be selected as a normal feat or as a bonus feat when all the prerequisites are met.
Custom Feat
Favored Terrain **General**
You are especially skilled in a particular terrain-type.
Benefit: Choose a favored terrain: Desert, Forest, Hills, Marsh, Mountains, Plains, Sea, or Underground. You gain a +2 competence bonus to Animal Empathy, Listen, Spot, and Wilderness Lore checks when in your favored terrain. The bonus to Animal Empathy only applies to animals, beasts, and magical beasts native to this terrain type.
Special: You can take this feat multiple times, choosing a different terrain each time.
1) To give the ranger a little more customization (like all the other classes in 3e got).
2) To prevent people from taking a single level of ranger to get two very useful combat feats (at which point the ranger class is promptly forgotten).
3) To reward rangers for advancing in levels (beyond 1st).
4) To keep the changes simple so that existing rangers (both PC & NPC, particular those in store-bought modules) only need minor tweaking.
The result is basically a cross between the Monte Cook ranger and the Player's Handbook ranger. A custom feat also follows the class description.
Please let me know what you think, particularly if you find any glaring problems. Thanks!
Ranger Changes (JLG Version)
No changes are being made to the Saves, Hit Dice, Base Attack Bonus, Skill Points and Class Skills, Spells, or the Track ability of the ranger class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A ranger is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (as before). Rangers no longer gain the ability to fight with two weapons as if they had the feats Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting.
Bonus Feats: At 1st, 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level, the ranger gains a bonus feat from the list below. He only gains the benefit of these feats when wearing light or no armor (and is carrying a light load or less). These feats count as virtual feats and can be used as prerequisites for other feats, but both these virtual feats and the other feats (that used the virtual feat as prerequisites) are lost when when the ranger puts on medium or heavy armor. These bonus feats may be drawn from the following list: Alertness, Ambidexterity, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Dash **S&S**, Dodge (Mobility), Endurance, Expertise, Extra Favored Enemy **MotW**, Favored Critical **MotW**, Favored Terrain **see below**, Improved Intiative, Mounted Combat (Mounted Archery, Ride-By-Attack), Point Blank Shot (Far Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Shot on the Run), Quick Draw, Run, Shadow **S&S, MotW**, Skill Focus in any skill from the ranger class list, Supernatural Blow **MotW**, and Two-Weapon Fighting (Greater Two-Weapon Fighting **MotW**, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Off-Hand Parry **S&F, MotW**).
Some of the bonus feats available to the ranger cannot be acquired until the ranger has gained one or more prerequisites; these feats are listed parenthetically after the prerequisite feat. A ranger must still meet all prerequisites for a feat, including ability scores and base attack bonus minimums. (Special note: The Ambidexterity feat requires a minimum Dexterity of 15+.)
Important: These feats are in addition to the feat that a character of any class gets every three levels. The ranger is not limited to the list given here when choosing those feats.
Favored Enemy: The favored enemy class feature of the ranger remains unchanged, with the following exception: The favored enemy bonus does apply to damage against creatures that are immune to critical hits. Against such creatures, the damage bonus is considered a competence bonus.
Improved Two-Weapon Fighting: The ranger must have the Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting feats, either as bonus ranger feats or regular feats, to select this feat. It can be selected as a normal feat or as a bonus feat when all the prerequisites are met.
Custom Feat
Favored Terrain **General**
You are especially skilled in a particular terrain-type.
Benefit: Choose a favored terrain: Desert, Forest, Hills, Marsh, Mountains, Plains, Sea, or Underground. You gain a +2 competence bonus to Animal Empathy, Listen, Spot, and Wilderness Lore checks when in your favored terrain. The bonus to Animal Empathy only applies to animals, beasts, and magical beasts native to this terrain type.
Special: You can take this feat multiple times, choosing a different terrain each time.
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) and the smite ability against a favored enemy once per day to fill these gaps. I also give the ranger one skill mastery (as the rogue ability in the PH) at 13th level because that seems like an appropriate ability for a ranger to have.
